Paper support



R. L. HOYE PAPER SUPPORT Aug. 14, 1962 Filed Dec. 27, 1960 Z W F INVENTOR; RAYMOND L. HOYE.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,048,939 PAPER SUPPORT Raymond L. Boys, 238 Marshall, Apt. 17, St. Paul, Minn. Filed Dec. 27, 1960, Ser. No. 78,635 2 Claims. (Cl. 45-85) This invention relates to supports and deals particularly with a collapsible article for supporting sheets of printed matter such as a folded newspaper, blueprints, shop drawings and the like.

The support is designed to hold a sheet of printed matter in a position to be read by the reader without having to hold the printed sheet in the hands. The several uses of this article include the supporting of shop or engineering drawings in a machine shop leaving the user free to use his hands elsewhere. Another use of the support is the holding of a newspaper upon a fiat surface adjacent a hospital bed or upon a table while the user is reading.

A feature of the instant invention resides in the provision of a support which embodies foldable arms permitting the device to collapse for storing.

These and other advantages and novel features will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the new device.

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the same.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the device showing the pivotal connection of an arm and the attachment of an L-shaped support bracket.

FIGURE 4 shows the new device in a position of use upon a table.

The supporting device includes an elongated generally channel shaped base indicated in general by the numeral 10. The device is preferably formed of a plastic, or of a light weight metal such as aluminum. The base is provided with opposed side walls 12 and 14 connected together by a web base portion 16. As best seen in FIG- URE 2 the wall 12 is inclined in diverging relation away from the wall 14 and at an obtuse angle relative to the web portion 16.

A pair of L-shaped support brackets 18 are attached to the outside surface adjacent the ends of the side wall 12 and are connected thereto by a pair of rivets or the like 20.

The rivets 20 also extend through a pair of arms 22 and 24 which are adapted to pivot toward each other to lie against a portion of the base 10, the arms 22 and 24 when folded toward each other to overlap one another adjacent the outside surface of the wall 12.

A printed sheet such as the sheet 26 may be folded over the free ends of the arms 22 and 24 as is best illustrated in FIGURE 4. The arms, when extended in the manner shown in FIGURE 6 are slightly inclined. In other words the free ends of the arms are further apart than the ends of the arms that are connected to the side wall 12.

The width of the web 1 6 may be varied as well as the heighth of the side walls 12 and 14. It is thought that the device as shown is best suited to accommodate a wide variety of printed matter. Books may be supported by the device by placing an open book in between the walls 12 and 14 and upon the web 16. The cover of the book will be supported by the arms 22 and 24.

As best seen in FIGURE 3 one corner of the connected ends of the arms 22 and 24 is rounded as at 28. This permits the arms to pivot in only one direction, the squared end 30 being adapted to come to rest on the upper surface of the L-shaped brackets and to prevent the arms from pivoting outwardly any further than the prescribed position.

It will be seen that the arms will adequately support a sheet of printed matter, the L-shap-ed brackets combining with the web portion 16 of the base provide an adequate surface so that the arms will remain in an upright position when supporting a newspaper or the like.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my improvement in supports, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A support for use in supporting sheets of printed matter in an upright position, the support including a channel-shaped elongated base having a pair of opposed sides connected together by a connecting web, one of said sides being at an obtuse angle relative to said web, a pair of generally L-shaped brackets connected to said one side, said brackets including one portion in face contact with said one side, and an angular portion coplanar with said web, a pair of arms pivotally connected to said one side and said one portion of said brackets, and a pivot extending through said one side, said one portion of each said bracket, and through each said arm to connect the same.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which each said arm includes a shoulder engageable with a corresponding angular portion of one of said brackets to limit pivotal movement of each said arm in one direction when said arm is generally upright.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 903,050 Booth Nov. 3, 1908 FOREIGN PATENTS 919,456 France Mar. 3, 1947 926,200 Germany Mar. 10, 1955 

